Apple's security "10 years behind Microsoft," says Kaspersky CEO

Eugene Kaspersky, founder and CEO of internet security firm Kaspersky, has thrown down the gauntlet to Apple, saying that the company's approach to security is a long way behind that of its rival Microsoft.

"I think that they are ten years behind Microsoft in terms of security," Kaspersky said at the Info Security 2012 conference. "For many years I've been saying that from a security point of view there is no big difference between Mac and Windows."

A recent spate of malware has heightened concern about security vulnerabilities on Apple devices. Historically, the company's products have been relatively safe from malware, but that's changing, according to Kaspersky – his company has seen more malware aimed at Macs.

"Apple is now entering the same world as Microsoft has been in for more than 10 years: updates, security patches and so on," Kaspersky said.

Malware was always going to become a growing concern for Mac users as Apple's market share increased – if you own a Mac it might be time to start thinking seriously about security.